Evaluation of the Radiological and Chemical Risk for Public Health from Flour Sample Investigation
Source abstract
Abstract
Flour investigation, in terms of physical and chemical pollutants and mineral content, is of great interest, in view of its high consumption for nutritional purposes. In this study, eleven types of flour (five samples for each one), coming from large retailers and employed by people for different cooking food purposes, were investigated through high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometry, in order to estimate natural (40K) and anthropogenic (137Cs) radioisotope specific activity and thus, to assess the radiological risk due to the flour ingestion. Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively-coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) were also employed to evaluate any possible heavy metal contamination and the mineral composition, and to perform multivariate statistical analysis to deduce the flour authenticity. The evaluation of dose levels due to flour ingestion was performed, for the age category higher than 17 years, taking into account the average yearly consumption in Italy and assuming this need to be satisfied from a single type of flour as a precaution. All obtained results are under the allowable level set by Italian legislation (1 mSv y−1), thus excluding the risk of ionizing radiation effects on humans. As far as heavy metal contamination is concerned, Cd and Pb concentrations turned out to be lower than the threshold values, thus excluding their presence as pollutants. Finally, the multivariate statistical analysis allowed to unambiguously correlate flour samples to their botanical origin, according to their elemental concentrations.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Radioactivity and Radon Measurements · Nuclear Physics and Applications · Heavy Metals in Plants
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche e Informatiche, Scienze Fisiche e Scienze Della Terra, Università degli Studi di Messina, V.le F. Stagno D’Alcontres, 31-98166 Messina, Italy
Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Odontoiatriche, e Delle Immagini Morfologiche e Funzionali, Università degli Studi di Messina, c/o A.O.U. Policlinico “G. Martino” Via Consolare Valeria, 1-98125 Messina, Italy
Agenzia Regionale Protezione Ambientale Calabria (ARPACal), Dipartimento di Reggio Calabria, via Troncovito SNC, 89135 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Messina, V.le F. Stagno D’Alcontres, 31-98166 Messina, Italy
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